A-K Valley athletes of the week: Kiski Area’s Abbie Johns, Freeport’s Brady Sullivan

By: Bill Hartlep
Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 2:26 PM

Previous Next

Abbie Johns

Class: Senior

School: Kiski Area

Sport: Basketball

Report card: Abbie Johns surpassed 1,000 career points in Friday’s 48-17 win over Gateway as the Kiski Area senior combo guard drained all 5 of the 3-point attempts and finished with 20 points. Johns also had 18 points in a 49-37 loss to Indiana on Tuesday. The Shippensburg commit who averages nearly 17 points has helped Kiski Area to a 6-11 overall record and 2-6 mark in Section 1-5A.

How did it feel to surpass 1,000 career points Friday night?

It was a pretty cool thing to experience. Going into the season, I didn’t think too much about it. Once I figured out I was close, I was like “Whoa, I’m going get 1,000 points.”

What was the celebration like with your teammates?

It felt good to do it with my family there and to do it with a great group of girls.

How did the team play against Gateway?

We played really well as a team. We had great ball movement and were strong on the boards. It was an overall good game.

What are some things the team is doing well at this point in the season?

Our defense is pretty good, and our ball movement on offense and getting smart shots.

What do you need to do better in the stretch run?

We need to continue to make smart shots and smart decisions on offense and pick up our defensive game in terms of rebounding and limiting turnovers.

What is your role on this team?

I’m a distributor and just a scorer whenever I need to be, just trying to keep the team together.

How have you improved since your freshman year?

We all push each other really hard in practice. The summer workouts we do together and the hard time we put together in practice, we all push each other to be better players.

Why did you decide on Shippensburg?

On my visit, I just loved the environment of the school. I loved the team and the coaches. They have a really good education program. I loved the way they did things as a team.

What do you plan to study?

Science education. Science has always been one of my favorite subjects, and I just like the lifestyle as a teacher.

How does volleyball help with basketball?

The agility in volleyball as well as timing to hit the ball. It helps with high pointing balls and rebounding. It’s all interconnected.

Are you involved in any other activities at Kiski Area?

No other sports. I’m in student council, Cavalier leadership counseling, Bible club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, horticulture club, Chinese club and Key club.

What’s your favorite local restaurant?

G&Gs in Vandergrift.

What’s your favorite home-cooked meal?

Probably homemade chicken noodle soup.

What type of music do you listen to before games?

We blast old 2000s music.

Who do you think will win the Super Bowl?

I want the Chiefs to win.

What is something people might not know about you?

I write with my left hand, but I do sports with my right hand.

Brady Sullivan

Class: Senior

School: Freeport

Sport: Basketball

Report card: Brady Sullivan led Freeport to a pair of victories this week and helped the Yellowjackets basketball team improve to 5-11 overall and 2-4 in Section 1-4A, good for a tie for fourth place. Sullivan had 21 points in a 71-63 nonsection win over East Allegheny on Tuesday and then had 20 points in Friday’s 61-55 section win over Knoch. The senior guard, who also starred for Freeport’s football team, is averaging nearly 18 points.

How did the team play against Knoch on Friday?

That’s by far our best game this season. We came out of the gate with a lot of energy and were knocking down shots. When we bring the energy it leads us to having a great game like that.

What are some things the team is doing well at this point in the season?

We’re sharing the ball more, and our defense has gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year. We’ve really locked in on the defensive side. The offense comes after the defense. Our overall rebounding and boxing out, too.

What will it take to make a run in the final couple weeks?

We just got to bring that type of energy every game on the defensive side and offensive side. When we bring that energy we can be one of those teams.

What is your role on this team?

If I bring the energy, it has everyone feed off my energy. If I don’t, our team can get down. If we get down, we lose sight of the fundamentals that help us win games. I feel like I have to be the energy guy.

How have you improved since your freshman year?

I feel like I’ve improved in every way, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I really locked in last year. It wasn’t my best offensive year last year. But my defense got a lot better. Defense leads to our offense.

Have you made plans for next fall?

I’ve been applying to some colleges but haven’t made a plan. Football or basketball could be a possibility. I put some highlights on Twitter and had colleges reach out to me, but I don’t have a college in mind yet.

What do you plan to study?

Business. Supply chain management. Kind of like what my dad does.

How does football help with basketball?

Just the conditioning really helps. You have to be conditioned in football. I play both sides of the ball. That helps me condition myself for basketball with running up and own the court.

What’s your favorite local restaurant?

Probably Freedom (Square) Diner in Natrona Heights.

What’s your favorite home-cooked meal?

Chicken, biscuits and gravy.

What type of music do you listen to before games?

I usually listen to country music.

Who do you think will win the Super Bowl?

I’m gonna go with the Ravens.

What’s your favorite part of the Super Bowl? The game, commercials, halftime show, none of it?

It’s the game overall and then just watching with my friends and family.

What is something people might not know about you?

I like English class. It’s kind of weird, but people might know that.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport, Kiski Area